An Archaeological Study Tour
Algeria

April 9 - 24 , 2009
Led by Professor James Russell

Algeria, the second largest country in Africa, is as rich in antiquities as its size implies. Prehistoric rock art in the midst of the Sahara reaches back to a time when the desert was savannah, and hunters fed on wild "buffalo" before becoming herders and learning the use of chariots and camels. Closer to the coast, the Numidian kingdoms were replaced by Roman and Byzantine masters, building great cities for trade and agriculture, with impressive theatres, forums, basilicas and fortresses. The Arab invasions brought a new culture to replace the old, while still preserving many native Berber customs. Our tour will be enhanced by beautiful old mosques, wonderful museums, colorful souks, the mix of traditional mud-brick and colonial architecture, as well as the spectacular scenery of the coastal mountains.

Wednesday, Thursday, April 9 & 10: Depart New York on Air France. We will arrive into Algiers Thursday afternoon and transfer to the El-Djazair Hotel, a lovely historic hotel in the heart of the city. This evening we will gather with Professor Russell for an orientation lecture and dinner.

Meals: Dinner

Friday, April 11: ALGIERS: This full day begins with a drive along the coast north of Algiers to Tipasa, where we will spend the morning visiting the museum and extensive ruins of this Phoenician and Roman port. On the road to Chercell we pass the Roman aqueduct, which brought water from the Atlas Mountains forty-five kilometers away. Touring continues at the museum, which houses spectacular mosaics and statues from ancient Chercell, now a modern city.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, April 12: TLEMCIN: After a short flight to Oran, we drive to Tlemcin. This interesting town, which reached its peak under the Zianids, houses a number of architectural treasures, including the pretty little 13th-century Mosque of Sidi Bel Hassan, the Great Mosque and the Mosque and Mausoleum of Sidi Bou Mediene. Hotel Zianide.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, April 13: ALGIERS: We complete our tour with a visit to the ruins of ancient Mansourah, surrounded by four kilometers of walls dating to the end of the 13th century, and fly back to Algiers. El-Djazair Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, April 14: ALGIERS:We begin our touring at the National Museum of Antiquities, which houses artifacts from every part of Algeria, including a fine coin collection and priceless manuscripts, and the Bardo Museum. This afternoon touring is completed with a stroll down the kasbah’s narrow streets lined with Ottoman-style palaces and old mosques.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, Wednesday, April 15 & 16: GHARDAIA: Another short flight brings us to Ghardaia, one of the five Mozabite towns that occupy the M’Zab valley. The Mozabites are an Islamic sect maintaining their traditional customs and dress, which makes this area particularly colorful. During our two-day stay, we will explore some of the neighboring villages of the M’Zab, each with its unique pyramidal minarets. We will visit Beni-Isguen, the most traditional of all the villages and renowned for its lush palmery. Hotel M’Zab.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, April 17: EL OUED: En route to El Oued we stop in Ouargla to visit the Museum of Desert Life, and in Temacine, a picturesque mud-brick village built around a ksar (castle). El Oued is known as “the village of a thousand domes” because all of its buildings are constructed with vaults and domes in order to cool them during the hot summers.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, April 18: TEBESSA: We depart for Tebessa (Theveste), where our visits will include the late basilica, Byzantine fortifications, amphitheater, arch of Caracalla and almost perfectly preserved Temple of Minerva. These fine monuments attest to the importance of the Roman town, which began as Vespasian's camp for the Legio III Augusta. The legion moved on to Lambaesis in 75, but the town continued to thrive under the Vandals. We will stroll through the fascinating “French Market” and check into the Hotel Ben Osmane.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, April 19: CONSTANTINE: A short drive brings us to the late third century royal tomb of Medracen. We continue to Timgad (Thamugadi), planned by Trajan on a regular grid for a population of about 15,000. Among its public buildings is a huge library, comparable to the library of Ephesus, which held 23,000 books. Needless to say, this site is vast and extremely interesting. We will spend most of the day exploring the colonnaded streets, temples, housing quarters and public buildings, as well as the fine site museum before making a short visit to the remains of the military camp at Lambaesis. We continue to Constantine for three nights at the centrally located Hotel Grand Cirta.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, April 20: CONSTANTINE: This morning we will visit the Archaeological Museum and the town of Setif. After lunch, we will spend the full afternoon at Djemila (Cuicul), built along a ridge. It has all of the traditional Roman amenities including a fine theater, which held three thousand spectators and had wonderful views across the town. We return to our hotel with time to relax before our dinner accompanied by traditional music.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, April 21: CONSTANTINE: Today’s touring brings us north of Constantine beginning at Tiddis. Perched on the side of a mountain, Tiddis was primarily a military outpost. Coin hoards attest to the international character of the city’s inhabitants as do the many religions observed, including the worship of Semitic Ba’al and the Roman Saturn. After completing our visit, we return to Constantine to visit the fine Constantine Museum, which houses the finds from the region.
Meals: Breakfast &, lunch

Tuesday, April 22: ANNABA: We will travel on the military road between ancient Hippo and Theveste, stopping to visit a fine theater en route. Continue to Annaba to visit Hippo Regius, famous as the see of Saint Augustine, who was bishop here from 395 until the Vandal invasion in 430. We will visit the Numidian and Roman city and the excellent site museum. The remainder of the day will be at leisure to explore Annaba. Hotel Seybouse International.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Wednesday, Thursday, April 23 & 24: ALGIERS: Wednesday afternoon we fly back to Algiers with the rest of the day at leisure before our farewell dinner. Our flight home departs Thursday midday. El-Djazair Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & 1 dinner

 

OPTIONAL TASSILI TOUR

Thursday, April 24: DJANET: This afternoon we will complete our city touring and after dinner fly to the oasis town of Djanet. We will spend three nights at the Saharian Village, a simple but comfortable hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Friday, April 25: DJANET: The prehistoric rock paintings of the Tassili n’Ajjer suggest that the Sahara of 6000 BC was a much more hospitable environment, much like the savannah of East Africa. The paintings are spread out along a vast plateau and are said to have been painted over thousands of years, beginning with the Wild Fauna and Round Head phases (8000-5000 BC), followed by the Pastoral phase (5000-1500 BC), depicting scenes from early herding life, and then the Horse phase (1500-100 BC), showing the emergence of the horse-drawn chariots. Lastly, as the desert became more arid, the camel replaced the horse (100 BC). We will take two full-day excursions into Tassili National Park to see some of this amazing rock art. Today’s touring will be by 4X4 via Timras, Tilalene, Tikoubaouine and Essendilene.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, April 26: DJANET: The touring today will be more strenuous. We will depart early, driving to Jabbaren in 4X4s (35 km, about 1-1.5 hours). We then climb 500 meters and walk about 3 hours, stopping for a picnic lunch. This long walk will reward us with two hours of viewing fabulous rock paintings and carvings. We then return to our vehicles and reach Djanet in the late afternoon. For those tour members who do not think they can manage this day, we have arranged alternative touring by 4X4 to artisan villages in the region. After dinner, we return to the airport for our midnight flight back to Algiers.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, April 27: ALGIERS: A midnight flight returns us to Algiers very early Sunday morning. We will transfer back to the El-Djazair Hotel for a short night of rest. We will transfer to the airport for our midday flights home.
Meals: Breakfast